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Modeling And The Tragedy Of Karen Mulder
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Sukie in the Graveyard
07/03/09

In reply to Modeling And The Tragedy Of Karen Mulder
Ah, Vogue. Remember those covers, Vogue? Weren't they nice?

(though, clearly, parts of the industry have destroyed far too many people)

The covers were nice though, right?
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ArtfulSlinger
07/02/09

In reply to Modeling And The Tragedy Of Karen Mulder
Thank you for this piece. Oddly Mulder was in my mind recently after the Muse exhibit at the Met here in NYC. As one of the most beautiful models ever, I was always confused why she never went as far as some of her other counterparts, like the Trinity. She was gorgeous and definitely one of my favorites, the other being Patitz, during the 90's model bomb. This is a terrible story and seems to be a continuing problem in an industry that capitalizes on sexualizing young women.

And I know that this is a problem throughout the industry, but does it seem to be more present in Europe?
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Kira Smith
07/02/09

In reply to Modeling And The Tragedy Of Karen Mulder
WTF is going on here?! It seems like Jezebel simultaneously fetishizes modeling, dance, Marilyn Monroe's exact weight and measurements and writes long, impassioned articles about how OMG TERRIBLE FOR WOMEN THEY ARE.

I'm not trying to be a jerk here, but I seriously do not understand what's happening. All of our anonymous model's articles seem to talk about how terrible her profession is, yet she's a frequent contributor. There are policies against bodysnarking and other 'triggering' comments, yet we see articles about "The worst diets I ever tried" (thanks for the thinspo, tips & tricks Moe!).

For some reason the contradiction really struck me with this article, because it is predicated on the notion that the Jezebel readers are intrigued and curious about modelling... I don't even know. You'll probably dismvowel this comment anyway.
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Cicada
07/02/09

@Kira Smith: Welcome to the wonderful world of gray areas and complex issues!

I can be intrigued by, or even attracted to, the world of fashion and modeling and still recognize that there are problems in the industry that need to be addressed.

These posts create lively discussions, which is great. Tatiana's writing is excellent, and she provides insight into her profession. Why shouldn't she be a frequent contributor? Hearing from many voices gives a better picture of the world around us.

People disagree and debate on Jezebel all the time. It's part of what makes me come back.
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lfw1031
07/01/09

In reply to Modeling And The Tragedy Of Karen Mulder
Tatiana - your post hit me square in the jaw. As a dumpy, 4'11' "normal" gal, I spent countless hours of my teenaged years alternating between complete facination of and absolute disdain for the women in Vogue, Bazaar, Mirabella and Elle.

I didn't think they had feelings (let alone brains); thay "had it all". What use did they have for self-doubt, angst, loneliness, or dread?

We're all guilty as charged. We buy the images, buy INTO the images. The girls are product or, worse, simply a backdrop. I'm so sorry.

It makes me sad to think that businesswomen like Wilhelmina Cooper & Eileen Ford may have kept their mouths shut in order to advance their own self-interests (or their husband's).
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ninles
07/01/09

In reply to Modeling And The Tragedy Of Karen Mulder
I don't understand, for the people who claim that the abuse went on for years and years: why STAY?? Why continue to work in an empty, valid, horrible business that has treated you like a piece of trash repeatedly?? Why enter it in the first place, perhaps? I am not a fan of modelling as a concept in general, but that is my personal opinion. I just don't get why someone like Mulder, who had a lot of money, who had already spoken out about it, would continue to be sucked in to a world like this.
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Hana Maru
07/01/09

@ninles: Money, affirmation of her beauty and worth, lack of options? She didn't even have a high school diploma and she had a drug habit to support. This was the only thing she knew.
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want
07/01/09

In reply to Modeling And The Tragedy Of Karen Mulder
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Mldr hs ncrsngly dmnstrtd tht sh s mtnlly nd mntlly dstrbd -- whch, nstd f cstng dbt n hr ccstns - s nstd bng sd s prf f hr ccstns.
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Edited at 07/01/09 5:47 PM want was starred want was unstarred

SunburnedCounsel
07/01/09

@want: This victim-blaming screed ignoring the underlying point of the original post- which is that it is a systemic problem no matter what Karen Mulder's mental state is- is going to look a mess once its disemvoweled.
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Jezebabe
07/01/09

@want: I am proud to say I was able to decipher that entire disemvowelled post in the first try. Do I get any high-fives! I am good at this now. I might consider a career in code breaking or something--is the CIA hiring?
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krismry
07/01/09

@Jezebabe: That was funny, but. The code breakers were in OSS, office of strategic services, in world war two. That was, um, 70 years ago. Trust your sisters who erase the vowels. Our lives are too short.
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lowkeylo
07/01/09

In reply to Modeling And The Tragedy Of Karen Mulder
It's hard to know what the truth is here. Obviously her stories have some credibility, but they also definitely show signs of mental instability and paranoia.
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Hana Maru
07/01/09

@lowkeylo: They don't "definitely" Are you a psychologist who has treated Karen Mulder, or do you have any other basis for this judgment? People often say that a woman must be lying if she says she has been attacked multiple times.

If she has been hospitalized for depression and anxiety, that doesn't automatically suggest that she makes shit up, it more credibly suggests that the abuse had a real effect on her.
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lowkeylo
07/01/09

@Hana Maru:
I'm not a psychologist, but I work with a lot of paranoids, and this would set my alarm bells off:

"...that Elite had used her and other models as sex slaves in a ring that extended through the top echelons of French society, implicating politicians, members of the police, and other top officials, that her own father had raped her, that she had been sexually abused by a family friend from the age of 2, that she had been hypnotized and raped, kidnapped and raped, and raped some more..."

Again, I'd bet some bad things happened to her, but...
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Hana Maru
07/01/09

@lowkeylo: but what? Is it incredible that she was raped multiple times, or incredible that politicians and police would be so corrupt? Do you think that coming from an abusive home must make her a liar?

Many former top models have told similar tales of rampant rape and abuse from bookers, agency heads, photographers, and clients. There is corroborating evidence for many of Mulder's allegations.
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♥AntiSocialSocialite♥
07/01/09

In reply to Modeling And The Tragedy Of Karen Mulder
Powerful piece, Tatiana.

You are a GREAT writer.
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JessaFields
07/01/09

In reply to Modeling And The Tragedy Of Karen Mulder
Wasn't Linda Evangelista married to Gerald Marie, when she was, like, 20 and he was God-knows-how-old? And Stephanie Seymour dated John Casablancas when she was 15...

I don't know what to say except these agency guys seem like scumbags and the whole industry seems fucked up.
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Fridge Hussy : Is finally heading back to uni!
07/01/09

@JessaFields: Officially, John Casablancas insists that he has "never knowingly slept with anyone under the age of 16."

But also, "he is a man! He has needs!*"

* Or so he was allegedly overheard bleating when asked to keep it in his pants around models not old enough to go to uni.
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Fridge Hussy : Is finally heading back to uni!
07/01/09

@Fridge Hussy : Is finally heading back to uni!: Please put [] around the "he"s in the second quote.
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Plum-Pie
07/01/09

In reply to Modeling And The Tragedy Of Karen Mulder
I wonder if it's related to the widely held idea that most men working in the fashion industry are gay?

As opposed to the reality of it being acceptable in the fashion industry to be an out gay man, as opposed to many other fields.
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Fizzy77
07/01/09

In reply to Modeling And The Tragedy Of Karen Mulder
So tatiana- why do you do it? this industry sounds horrible. Why do stay in it? This isn't judgement, it's an honest question. It sounds like it's a scary scary place to be.
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Jezebabe
07/01/09

@Fizzy77: I wonder this too as well. If you're a college educated American adult, why on earth would you do that? You'd probably not make as much $$$, but is it really worth it? Even if you do it for only a few years, it seems kind of awful. I went to a very prestigious University in NYC and a few of my classmates did some modeling and appeared in catalogs and such, but they all went on to go to law school or get graduate degrees and have normal successful lives. Why would you give up the chance to live a normal, successful life to be photographed in your underwear and deal with casual sexual harassment on a daily basis? It's not like it's going to look good in your resume.
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ArtfulSlinger
07/02/09

@Jezebabe: Really, you can't understand why a 20 year old girl would continue to be harassed when her paycheck for hours of work is $10K?
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Vivi21
07/01/09

In reply to Modeling And The Tragedy Of Karen Mulder
One time a make-up artist came into my father's business and suggested that I model because I had the height and the facial bone structure (I was 16 at the time). My father told her there was no way he'd let me into that world and now that I think about it, I'm glad. It seems to me that modeling is a particularly perilous career; agencies rope you in young (when you are easily manipulated), there's easy access to drugs, and there are probably any number of predatory photographers/agents/hanger-ons. On top of that, the pressure to stay really thin must be immense.
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Sputnik_Sweetheart
07/01/09

@Vivi21: Also, the essay said that Mulder quit school to model, so she wasn't getting the education and socialization she needed. When you don't have that much schooling under your belt and you've never done anything else, I can imagine that you could quickly become "trapped" in the industry. I see it too with former child stars who seem so unhappy, but yet continue to be in the public eye (Britney Spears, for example). If they leave their industry, what else are they going to do?
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hollygirl
07/01/09

In reply to Modeling And The Tragedy Of Karen Mulder
You make an excellent point highlighting how we are still " shocked"- how much proof do we need that this happens all the time?? If we couldn;t commodify beauty this wouldn't be happening.'
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LAmonkeygirl
07/01/09

In reply to Modeling And The Tragedy Of Karen Mulder
On a similar note, my husband has noted that almost every woman he's ever been friends with or dated has ultimately admitted to having been sexually abused in one way or another. This horrifies and disgusts him, that the culture of sexual abuse is so endemic that it has affected most women.

And it's extremely upsetting to see that the modeling world is yet another venue for women to be violated and abused. There is no safety.
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Antonella
07/01/09

@LAmonkeygirl:

When I came out to almost all of my female friends, they admitted to me that they'd been sexually abused as well. My own sisters and female nieces have been molested by our grandfather. It's so sickeningly prevalent.

And quite frankly, I wholeheartedly favor castration as a punishment to those who are convicted of this heinous crime.
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colormeroutine
07/01/09

@LAmonkeygirl: My boyfriend once said he thought the 1/10 statistic sounded "too high" to him and he thought it must be inflated. In response I had him list by name all of our female friends and think if he had either heard about or witnessed them being assaulted. By the time he was halfway down the list he looked stunned. This is a normally sensitive boy who has many close female friends, and yet had never made the connections.
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kaiwhakamarie
07/01/09

@LAmonkeygirl: My husband and I have had this same discussion. He can't think of a single girlfriend he's had that wasn't sexually abused and/or raped. It horrifies him.
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Hana Maru
07/01/09

@LAmonkeygirl: Every time I have talked about my own rapes to other women, the majority of them confess their own. My mother has been raped, my sister just barely escaped a rape last week. I always wonder which of the men I know are rapists. There must be a whole lot of them.
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krismry
07/01/09

@Antonella: That would put a swift end to the human race. Better freeze up some sperm for the turkey basters.
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CHIC NOIR
07/01/09

@Hana Maru: Oh God, sorry to read about what happened with your sister. How is she feeling now?
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Hana Maru
07/02/09

@CHIC NOIR: Thanks for asking. I heard from my mom that it happened and that my sis is really stricken and not answering calls or leaving the house. She's physically okay, but I've only been able to leave messages for her. It happened on the street in Chicago.
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bambooshoot
07/02/09

@Hana Maru: Oh GOD. That is terrible to hear. I hope your sister is dealing with that.

I often think which of my male friends or coworkers have acted like bores. It's depressing to imagine...
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Hana Maru
07/02/09

@bambooshoot: thanks.
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Laura Crawford
07/01/09

In reply to Modeling And The Tragedy Of Karen Mulder
Could it be Gilles Bensimon? He's one of the more famous photogs i`ve heard of.
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FashionShowAtLunch
07/01/09

@Laura Crawford: What about "noted fashion photographer, Nigel Barker"?
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BlondeGoddess
07/02/09

@Laura Crawford: Gilles Bensimon was my (well educated) guess too. There are a lot of stories circulating about him harrassing young models.
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ArtfulSlinger
07/02/09

@Laura Crawford: and @all: Nigel Barker and Terry Richardson would not have been noted back in the hey day of Mulder. It was probably Bensimon or Testino. I have always got the feeling that for a very select group of men photography was their way to be accepted into a world they would have never had access to, specifically when it comes to fashion and rock and roll.
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